Friday, December 18, 2015

Happy Day Happy Day :)

Today is a
very very very exciting day J When I was in Burkina Faso this
January I met a beautiful little girl named Wendinda. Winny had a rather
difficult life up to coming to the Sheltering Wings orphanage and suffers from
various disabilities, due to some very sad accidents. This being said she is a
beautiful and sweet little girl who loves to love. One of the first times I met
her, she sat in my lap continuously stroking my arm. Coral, the woman I lived
with, explained to me that she was set to be adopted in May and that her family
had been sending her pictures and such, so perhaps she thought I was her mom.
Throughout the rest of my time there I had lots of opportunities to play with
Winny, help Coral with her speech and occupational therapy and I even got her
to dance around a bit. I brought home a craft that she made to send to her
soon-to-be family. I have kept up with them on Facebook ever since.

Unfortunately,
the Burkinabe government isn’t the most functional. Though she was set to come “home”
in May, various things have come up and Winny has remained indefinitely in
Burkina, much to the dismay of all who have been hoping and praying for her safe
arrival in the states. Winny has received lovely care at the orphanage, but the
fact of the matter is that those with disabilities, physical or mental, are
simply not accepted there. They also don’t have access to the type of care they
would receive in the US. I am a huge supporter of community development and
creating a place where kids are not separated from their life and culture, but
in certain cases, like Winny's, international adoption is essential.

Now time
for the good news- as we speak, Winny is on her way to the United States! An
escort went to pick her and another little girl from a different orphanage up,
take care of the paper work and bring them to meet their new families! (What an
amazing job) I’m sure the journey has been stressful for her and that her
transition into her new life won’t be easy, but from what I can tell her family (who
has been working on this for, I believe, over two years) seems to be amazing! I
actually had a dream last night about her meeting her family, my heart is so
full and I am so excited for all involved!